This Isn't A Game
by Prince Florian
Summary: Danny and Stiles team up to play an online fantasy game, but real life becomes more exciting than any game when Jackson in werewolf form terrorizes the duo. And Danny discovers that werewolves aren't the only ones in Beacon Hills with supernatural powers. Danny/Stiles flirtation leading to more in future stories.


**THIS ISN'T A GAME**

Danny put on a headset and turned on the computer at his desk. A familiar voice came through the device, "Stilinski signing in, do you read me Danny boy?"

"_Loud_ and clear," Danny responded, cringing at the over-exuberance in Stiles' voice. "You remember what I told you about keeping quiet about this?"

"I know, I know… If I tell anyone you'll tie me to the lacrosse goal and have your friends use me for target practice."

"That's right." Danny logged on and smirked at the sight on his screen. "Hey Stiles, did you upgrade your armor recently?"

"You like my new breastplate? I think it accentuates all the right places." A computer generated Elvin being with flowing silver hair did a flirtatious spin, her breasts jiggling beneath her form fitting armor.

"Yeah, not really my type," Danny said as he commanded his hulking warrior to join her. "Now, this is more like it." The nearly naked forest warrior flexed his impressive muscles and hacked the air with his massive sword, letting out an intimidating grunt.

"I think you need to buy him some clothes and gear," Stiles said, "for his own protection."

"Kekoa is so skilled he could fight naked or would that be too distracting?"

Stiles was grateful Danny couldn't see the blush forming on his cheeks. "Yeah right. Okay back to business, tonight's first mission is finding the pearl of wisdom at the Mystic Stream. Then we can level up our magic abilities."

As Stiles droned on about the game, Danny became distracted by something in the corner of his eye. He thought he saw a dark shape pass his window. Then he distinctly heard a high-pitched scratching noise against the windowpane.

"What was that?" Danny got up and pulled back his curtains.

"I don't hear anything," Stiles said as he adjusted the volume on his computer speakers and squinted in concentration.

With trepidation Danny raised the blinds and was shocked to see a set of glowing eyes staring back at him and bared canine-like teeth glinting in the moonlight.

He released the cord and the blinds fell unevenly, making a zipping noise and banging against the window before settling. In horror, Danny stepped backwards and tripped, landing on the floor with a thud. He tried to inch himself further away from the window but his body was rigid with fear.

In a paralyzed whisper he said, "Oh my god, I just saw something… something with sharp teeth and glowing eyes."

"Whoa wait, we still have a puzzle quest to finish before we battle the next big boss."

"I'm positive there's something out there. Right outside…" Danny clutched his knees and closed his eyes, praying that when he opened them he'd be relieved to find he was waking from a nightmare.

"Where are you on the world map?"

"Stiles, I'm not talking about the stupid game!" He fixed his eyes on the bare corner of his window, terrified that any moment the beast would re-emerge and snarl against the glass. "There's something on the roof outside my window… something not human," he choked out.

Stiles abruptly shot up in his seat and his voice lowered an octave, "What? Wait a sec… what color are its eyes?"

"We're not browsing profiles on a dating site, why does his eye color matter?"

"Damn it Danny, just tell me what color they are."

"They're blue. Bright blue."

"That's what I thought. Danny, you need to lock your bedroom door and windows right now. And don't go outside no matter what."

"Why?"

"Because that creature out there is Jackson and I think he wants to turn you into the same thing he is... a werewolf!"

"Wha-

"There's no time for explanations. I'll be over there in ten minutes." Stiles tore off his headset, grabbed his jacket and flew out of the house.

Stiles pounded frantically on Danny's bedroom door. Danny unlatched and opened the door and the wiry teen came tumbling in.

"Where is he?" Stiles demanded, nervously bouncing on his feet.

"I think he's lurking in the backyard." Danny looked towards the window warily.

Stiles switched off the light and approached the window. He pulled a section of the blind apart and peered into the darkness. The figure of a werewolf stood silhouetted in the moonlight, his icy, glowing eyes fixed on the room in which they stood.

Danny joined Stiles by the window and looked down at the creature with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

"Are you going to explain what the hell is going on? How is that _thing_ Jackson?"

"How long have you got?"

Danny shoved Stiles in frustration. "Come on Stiles! This is my best friend we're talking about. I'm actually pissed you didn't tell me about this sooner. If my life is in danger I'd like to know about it."

"Okay… okay! How do I begin?" Stiles paused to contemplate something. "I guess there's no way around it, but Scott's definitely going to kill me… Long story short: Scott got bit by an alpha werewolf and-

"Scott's a werewolf too? You've got to be kidding me!"

"Yeah but he's cool because he's got me as a best friend. You could say I'm a werewolf tamer... kind of. Anyway, Scott would never attack an innocent human."

"Where does Jackson fit into all this?"

"Jackson found out about it and wanted the bite himself, because it heightens your senses like smell and hearing. It also improves your strength and reflexes, so it can make you better at things like lacrosse. Ever wonder why Scott suddenly went from zero to hero on the lacrosse field?"

"You're telling me Jackson wanted to become a werewolf to be better at lacrosse? That's the lamest reason I've ever heard, especially considering he's the captain of the team."

"He's _your_ friend."

"Go on…" Danny said with some skepticism in his voice.

"Jackson eventually got the bite. But uh, there were some complications at first. You should really ask him about that," Stiles deflected. His mind flashed with images of a paralyzed Danny lying on floor of the _Jungle_ nightclub, kanima venom flowing through his veins.

Stiles continued, "All that matters is that Jackson eventually got his wish. The trouble is now he probably wants to give you the bite. He'll want you as part of his pack. Werewolves are stronger in packs… That's pretty much the gist of it. This is your cue to stare at me like I'm crazy and to tell me to 'Get out.'"

Danny's eyes wandered back and forth as if trying to keep pace with memories of the past year reeling in his mind. "No… it- it all makes sense…"

"_Really?_"

"Hey, I'm more observant than you think. You and McCall aren't exactly covert ops. I've heard you talking in chem. about werewolves, wolf's bane, and something called a kanima-

"Oh you don't need to worry about that. Just the werewolves." Stiles cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I don't need anymore explanation. You're right, it's Jackson who should do the talking."

"You might want to wait until daylight and for him to change back into human form."

Danny went on, oblivious to Stiles' reasoning, "I've noticed how he's been acting strange and distant lately and now I know why. I can't believe he didn't trust me enough to tell me…. You know what? I'm sick of always being in the dark. I'm going down to confront him."

"Are you nuts? Did you not hear what I just told you? He's a werewolf and he wants to give you the bite!"

"I've known Jackson since kindergarten. I've never let him push me around and I'm not going to start now."

"You don't seem to understand how dangerous the situation is. Trust me, I've been dealing with this supernatural crap for a year now."

"You look alive and w- actually you look better than…" Catching his fumble, Danny added coolly, "I don't know, ever since you kicked ass at the lacrosse final, you look different to me… not as spastic or something."

Stile's face reddened and he averted his eyes to the floor, nervously brushing his palm against his bristly scalp. "Thanks. Maybe on the outside, but on the inside I'm hanging to a thread of sanity."

"You're always going on about how you wish you could be a superhero or as powerful as the characters we play online. Now's your chance. Come with me or don't, but I'm going out there," Danny said as he put on a hooded sweatshirt and headed towards the hallway.

"Wait, Danny!" Stiles snatched at Danny's arm but missed as the taller boy opened the door and descended the stairs. Stiles called out, "This isn't a game!" but his warning fell of deaf ears. Stiles let out a weary sigh. "Humans… and I thought _werewolves_ were hard to control."

By the time Stiles reached the backyard Danny was standing face to face with a crouching and snarling werewolf. He expected Jackson to strike the more imposing figure, but Danny looked as tall and mighty as the character he played in their online fantasy game.

Danny shouted above the Autumnal wind whipping around them, "Why didn't you tell me this is what you've become? Do you think I don't know what it feels like to be different? I don't care that you're a werewolf. I care that you didn't tell me, your best friend."

Jackson growled and glowered at Danny.

"Danny, he can't comprehend anything you're saying right now. He's turned. At the moment his mind is more wolf than human."

Danny took a step towards the werewolf and Stiles threw his arms up in frustrated defeat. Danny's voice trembled slightly, "Jackson you can trust me. You don't have to face this alone. Jackson…"

At the sound of his name Jackson paused for a moment and his unearthly blue eyes seemed to flicker with recognition, then the hair on his back stood up and his body arched in a pouncing position.

The werewolf lurched forward and Danny threw his arms out and screamed, "Jackson, don't!" His eyes shut tight in anticipation of the attack, but nothing happened. When he opened them he was startled to see two luminescent orbs in his palms, formed from streams of moonbeam shooting down in concentrated vapors. Both he and Stiles were dumbstruck and even more so by the sight of Jackson. The werewolf sat placidly like a household pet, his eyes mesmerized by the celestial light.

"Wow, apparently everyone in Beacon Hills has a badass super power but me," Stiles complained.

Danny stood, brow furrowed and staring into the balls of moonlight in his hands. The light began to vibrate, and rapidly expand and contract. The moonbeams felt like colossal magnets, strong enough to obliterate the world if he let go and his strength was fading. "What do I do?"

"You're asking me? I don't know, try shooting them at him like Spiderman shoots his web."

Danny drew his arms back and then forward. He looked more like a magician during a big reveal than a superhero, but the desired effect was the same. The spheres shot forward so fast that they looked like meteors stroking the night sky.

Jackson hadn't kept his eyes off the light for a second and as the orbs flew, so did he, chasing them like an eager dog after a tennis ball. The werewolf and the orbs disappeared from sight as they sped into the dense forest, the blue light ricocheting off the trees like a mystical pinball machine.

"Fetch boy!" Stiles shouted after Jackson. He jumped and laughed in jubilation as he approached Danny. "What haven't you been telling me Danny boy?" he asked, giving him a slap on the back.

Danny looked at his hands in disbelief. The radiating light was gone but he could still feel a slight tingling sensation. "I have no idea what just happened. I… I never knew I could do that."

"Are you sure? You never had an inkling? Anything strange in your past?"

"Controlling the moon? No... Wait… my grandfather… I was only a kid on vacation in Oahu, but I remember, he told me that our family name is Hawaiian for 'Light of the Full Moon' or something like that."

"Well there you go! This," Stiles said, imitating the voice of an old sage, "is your destiny!"

"Maybe… Grandpa claimed we have moonlight flowing through our veins. I told my parents about it and they said he was going senile, that it was just the rambling of an old man. What did they know?" Danny examined his hands again in awe.

"If what you say is true, just imagine what you can do when the moon is full?"

Stiles shot Danny an admiring glance and both boys looked up at the moon. The crescent shape looked like a wide smile, laughing in appreciation at their fantastic discovery.


End file.
